Trump expands ‘Good Moral Character’ review for US citizenship
Metheun, MA - October 30: A new citizen holds an American flag during a naturalization ceremony at the Nevins Library. (Photo by David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON - The Trump administration announced it will use a "rigorous, holistic, and comprehensive" approach when granting U.S. citizenship.
According to a memo from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, officials must consider positive attributes when approving naturalizations.
What they're saying:
"Among other eligibility factors, aliens applying for naturalization must demonstrate that he or she has been and continues to be an individual of good moral character (GMC)," the memo read. "Evaluating GMC involves more than a cursory mechanical review focused on the absence of wrongdoing."
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"Going forward, USCIS officers must account for an alien’s positive attributes and not simply the absence of misconduct."
Dig deeper:
Positive attributes can include active and consistent community involvement, strong family responsibilities and ties, educational accomplishments, a record of stable and lawful employment, long-term lawful residence, and responsible financial conduct such as fulfilling tax obligations.
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In addition, officials can give greater scrutiny to disqualifying factors.
The country has had a longstanding policy of not granting citizenship to those who have been convicted of murder, aggravated felony, crimes of violence, persecution, genocide, torture, or severe violations of religious freedom.
Under the new policy, officials can also broaden the definition of disqualifying factors to include drug offenses, multiple DUIs, false citizenship claims, or unlawful voting. Other behaviors—though sometimes legal—like repeated traffic violations, harassment, or aggressive solicitation, may also count if inconsistent with community standards.
Views on immigration shifting
By the numbers:
Just months after President Donald Trump returned to office amid a wave of anti-immigration sentiment, the share of U.S. adults saying immigration is a "good thing" for the country has jumped substantially — including among Republicans, according to Gallup polling.
About 8 in 10 Americans, 79%, say immigration is "a good thing" for the country today, an increase from 64% a year ago and a high point in the nearly 25-year trend. Only about 2 in 10 U.S. adults say immigration is a bad thing right now, down from 32% last year.
During Democratic President Joe Biden’s term in office, negative views of immigration had increased markedly, reaching a high point in the months before Trump, a Republican, took office. The new Gallup data suggests U.S. adults are returning to more pro-immigrant views that could complicate Trump’s push for sweeping deportations and other anti-immigration policies. The poll shows decreasing support for the type of mass deportations Trump has championed since before he was elected.
Since taking office, Trump has called on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to do all in its power to deliver "the single largest Mass Deportation Program in History." His administration has also pushed to limit access to federal benefits for immigrants who lack legal status, sought to revoke the citizenship of immigrants who commit crimes and is working to end birthright citizenship for children born to those without legal status or who are in the country temporarily.
Most Americans favor allowing immigrants living in the U.S. illegally the chance to become U.S. citizens if they meet certain requirements over a period of time, the poll shows.
Almost 9 in 10 U.S. adults, 85%, favor a pathway to citizenship for immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children, and nearly as many say they favor a path to citizenship for all immigrants in the country illegally as long as they meet certain requirements.
The Source: The Associated Press contributed to this report. The information in this story comes from a memo issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. This story was reported from Los Angeles.